Leader of Migrant Smuggling Ring Sentenced to 10 Years in Fatal Plot

Felipe Rosales-Herrera was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leading a smuggling ring responsible for over 100 migrants.Photo byUmanoideonUnsplash

Felipe de Jesus Rosales-Herrera, a resident of Riverside, California, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for leading a migrant smuggling conspiracy that trafficked more than 100 people and resulted in at least one death, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California.

Rosales-Herrera, 43, admitted in his plea agreement that he organized a network of foot guides and drivers to transport migrants across the U.S.-Mexico border.

He charged approximately $10,000 per migrant, the department says.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, some smuggling operations led to high-speed chases and crashes, putting migrants, drivers, law enforcement officers, and civilians at risk.

The Christmas Day crash, which killed one migrant and left two others critically injured, occurred when driver Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, under the direction of co-conspirator Jose Luis Alejo-Cruz, sped away from Border Patrol agents at nearly 100 mph on wet, winding roads, according to the department.

Quevedo-Moncada lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree. Both Quevedo-Moncada and Alejo-Cruz later pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the crash.

Alejo-Cruz also admitted to intimidating members of the smuggling operation, including robbing former drivers at gunpoint and plotting to kidnap a rival smuggler, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Rosales-Herrera’s sentence marks the end of a long-running smuggling operation that endangered lives and led to one tragic death, the department stated.

“We will never stop targeting these criminal organizations who prioritize profit over lives,” said U.S. Border Patrol, San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Patrica McGurk-Daniel.

“Our agents are committed to the safety and security of migrants, the public, and our nation. It is only through strong partnerships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and all our law enforcement partners, that we ensure justice is served and consequences are delivered to these criminals.”